Combined shredder and baler

ABSTRACT

In a combined paper shredder and baler, the shredder is arranged to discharge shredded material directly into a baling chamber below a vertically reciprocable ram. A photo-electric device is provided in the chamber to detect accumulation of material therein up to a predetermined level and then to interrupt operation of the shredder and initiate reciprocation of the ram.

United States Patent [191 Bleasdale 1 1 COMBINED SHREDDER AND BALER [75] Inventor: Steven Francis Bleasdale,

Huddersfield, England [73] Assignee: Edwin Mills & Son Limited, Huddersfield York, England 51 May 13,1975

2,691,338 10/1954 Robbins 100/97 3,024,719 3/1962 Englund 100/49 X 3,621,775 11/1971 Dedio et a1. 100/49 3,625,138 12/1971 Shinn..., 100/49 X 3,752,063 8/1973 Golde 100/97 3,754,498 8/1973 Gil 100/97 X 3,754,500 8/1973 Heth 100/97 Primary Exaniiner-Billy J. Wilhite Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Watson, Cole, Grindle & Watson [57] ABSTRACT In a combined paper shredder and baler, the shredder is arranged to discharge shredded material directly into a baling chamber below a vertically reciprocable ram. A photo-electric device is provided in the chambe? to detect accumulation of material therein up to a predetermined level and then to interrupt operation of the shredder and initiate reciprocation of the ram.

3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures Pi-JENIED HAY 1 31975 3, 882 77 O SHEET 10F 2 1 COMBINED SHREDDER AND BALER SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a combination comprising a baling machine for compressing paper and the like into readily transportable bales and shredding apparatus for shredding the paper prior to baling.

The object of the invention is to provide such a combination which can be produced more economically or is more reliable in operation than apparatus hitherto available.

According to the invention, in a combined baling machine and shredder the baling machine comprises a body which defines a baling chamber and an inlet aperture in a lateral wall of the chamber, a ram which is mounted for vertical reciprocation in said chamber between an upper position in which it is situated above said inlet aperture and a lower position in which it is situated below the inlet aperture, and ram drive means for causing said reciprocation of the ram, the shredding apparatus comprises a pair of relatively rotatable cutters between which paper and the like can be fed to cut same into narrow strips, a discharge passageway leading from the cutters to said inlet aperture and shredder drive means for driving the cutters, and there is further provided control means for so controlling operation of both said drive means that the cutters and the ram are not operated simultaneously, the control means including level detector means for providing an output signal when material accumulates in the baling chamber to a predetermined level and changeover means operatively associated with the level detector means to receive said output signal therefrom and for interrupting operation of said cutters and initiating operation of said ram when said output signal is received.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS the invention, and

FIG. 2 shows a circuit diagram of the apparatus of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a body defining a baling chamber of rectangular shape in plan having a door 11 at one side. The door 11 extends for substantially the full height of the baling chamber 10 and is openable so as to allow a bale of the compressed material to be removed. The opposite wall 12 is formed with an access opening 13 through which waste paper and like material which is not required to be shredded can normally be inserted into the baling chamber as indicated by the arrow A. A hinged flap 14 is provided to close the access opening 13.

A ram 15 is mounted in the baling chamber for reciprocation upwardly and downwardly. There is also provided drive means for causing such reciprocation, which drive means comprises a lead screw 16a drivingly-connected with an electric motor 16.

The door 11 has mounted thereon a shredding apparatus 17 which includes a pair of cutter rollers 18 at least one of which is rotatably driven by shredder drive means comprising an electric motor 19. The housing of the shredding apparatus 17 affords a loading platform 20 over which documents or the like may be passed into a feed opening 21. The shredding apparatus includes a discharge passageway 22 for shredded material and the passageway 22 is aligned with an inlet aperture 23 formed in the door 11 so that the shredded material discharged from the cutter rollers 18 is delivered directly into the interior of the chamber 10.

Control means is provided for controlling operation of the motors 16 and 19 to avoid simultaneous reciprocation of the ram 15 and operation of the cutters 18. A simplified circuit diagram of the control means is shown in FIG. 2. The motors l6 and 19 are supplied with current through the contacts of relays R1 and R2 respectively. The energising winding of the relay R2 is connected in series with a normally open limit switch SOS which is mounted in the baling chamber 10 in such a position as to be held closed whilst the ram 15 is in .its uppermost position. Whenever the ram moves from this position the switch SOS opens and the motor 19 is de-energised.

The control means further includes a photo-sensitive device 24 which is mounted in an opening in one lateral wall of the baling chamber 10 and is arranged to receive a beam of light from a light source 25 mounted in an opening in an opposite lateral wall of the chamber. The photo-sensitive device and the light source are so positioned that a beam of light is projected from the source across an upper part of the chamber, but below the ram 15 when the latter is in its uppermost position, to the photo-sensitive device.

The photo-sensitive device 24 is connected in a ramcontrol circuit indicated at C in FIG. 2 and this circuit is arranged to provide a output current to the winding of the relay R1 whenever the ram-control circuit is energised and the beam of light between the source 29 and device 24 is interrupted. When the winding of relay R1 is energised, the contacts of relay R1 are closed and the motor 16 is operated to reciprocate the ram 15. Thus, whenever the apparatus is in operation and material accumulates in the baling chamber 10 to a predetermined level such that the beam of light is interrupted, the ram motor 16 is energised and the shredder motor 19 is de-energiscd.

The control means includes further limit switches and relays (not shown) for reversing the direction of rotation of the motor 16 when the ram 15 reaches a lower position and for de-energising the motor 16 when the ram has returned to its uppermost position. Provision may also be made (although not illustrated) for reversing the motor 19 to clear the cutters, should these become jammed.

In order to impede upward movement of material in the baling chamber 10 which has been compressed by the ram 15, retaining means is provided for engaging the compressed material. Such retaining means comprises one or more pivoted catch elements 25 carried on a pivot 26 disposed just outside the chamber 10, a slot 27 being formed in the wall of the chamber through which the catch element can project as shown in FIG. 1. The catch element is biased by a spring 28 to the projecting position shown in FIG. 1 in which it projects into the baling chamber so as to engage with the upper surface of a mass of compressed material therein to impede upward movement of such mass. The catch element is prevented from pivoting upwardly from the position shown in FIG. 1 by engagement with the upper boundary of the slot 27. When the ram 15 is reciprocated to compress a further quantity of material in the chamber 10, the catch element 29 is engaged by the downwardly moving material and is pivoted to a withdrawn position (not illustrated) in which it is withdrawn from the chamber into an external housing 28. As the ram passes the catch element, the latter returns to the projecting position under the action of the spring 28. An open-ended slot is formed in the periphery of the ram to receive the catch element on the upward stroke of the ram. Preferably a plurality of catch elements 29 is provided on each of two opposite sides of the chamber 10.

Whilst the shredding apparatus 17 is most conveniently carried on the door 11 it could alternatively be disposed at one of the fixed sides of the chamber so as to avoid the necessity of flexible electric connections to the motor 19. Alternatively, the shredding apparatus could be carried on the outer side of the flap 14 which would then itself be formed with an inlet opening similar to the opening 23. In this case, the arrangement could be such that the cutting rollers 18 can only be energised when the closure flap 14 is in a closed position with respect to the access opening 13, or alternatively the shredding apparatus could be so disposed as to discharge the shredded material to the upper side of the closure flap 14 when the latter is in the open position as shown.

The shredding apparatus is preferably disposed at a position remote from the normal access opening 13 in order to reduce the possibility of unshreddable material being fed inadvertently into the feed opening 21 instead of the access opening 13.

I claim:

1. The combination comprising a baling machine for compressing paper and the like and shredding apparatus wherein:

the baling machine comprises a body which defines a baling chamber and an inlet aperture in a lateral wall of the chamber, a ram which is mounted for vertical reciprocation in the baling chamber between an upper position in which it is situated above said inlet aperture and a lower position in which it is situated below the inlet aperture and ram drive means for causing said reciprocation of the ram,

the shredding apparatus comprises a pair of relatively rotatable cutters between which paper and the like can be fed to cut same into narrow strips, a discharge passageway leading from the cutters to said inlet aperture and shredder drive means for driving the cutters,

and there is further provided control means for so controlling operation of both said drive means that the cutters and the ram are not operated simultaneously, the control means including level detector means arranged in an upper portion of the baling chamber and responsive to accumulation of material in the baling chamber to a predetermined level to initiate operation of said ram and interrupt operation of said cutters.

2. The combination claimed in claim 1 wherein said ram drive means is a ram motor, said shredder drive means is a shredder motor, and said control means is arranged for de-energising one of said motors when the other of said motors is energised.

3. The combination claimed in claim 1 wherein the level detector means comprises a photo-sensitive device mounted at one lateral wall of an upper part of said baling chamber and a light source mounted at an opposite lateral wall of an upper part of the baling chamber and arranged for projecting a beam of light across the chamber below said ram onto the photo-sensitive device when said ram is in its upper position. 

1. The combination comprising a baling machine for compressing paper and the like and shredding apparatus wherein: the baling machine comprises a body which defines a baling chamber and an inlet aperture in a lateral wall of the chamber, a ram which is mounted for vertical reciprocation in the baling chamber between an upper position in which it is situated above said inlet aperture and a lower position in which it is situated below the inlet aperture and ram drive means for causing said reciprocation of the ram, the shredding apparatus comprises a pair of relatively rotatable cutters between which paper and the like can be fed to cut same into narrow strips, a discharge passageway leading from the cutters to said inlet aperture and shredder drive means for driving the cutters, and there is further provided control means for so controlling operation of both said drive means that the cutters and the ram are not operated simultaneously, the control means including level detector means arranged in an upper portion of the baling chamber and responsive to accumulation of material in the baling chamber to a predetermined level to initiate operation of said ram and interrupt operation of said cutters.
 2. The combination claimed in claim 1 wherein said ram drive means is a ram motor, said shredder drive means is a shredder motor, and said control means is arranged for de-energising one of said motors when the other of said motors is energised.
 3. The combination claimed in claim 1 wherein the level detector means comprises a photo-sensitive device mounted at one lateral wall of an upper part of said baling chamber and a light source mounted at an opposite lateral wall of an upper part of the baling chamber and arranged for projecting a beam of light across the chamber below said ram onto the photo-sensitive device when said ram is in its upper position. 